In this Friday’s Five, I discuss why people should be more open to attending jury duty.  I sat for jury duty this week, but was dismissed after vior dire.  I’ve served on two juries prior to this, and maybe it is the litigator in me, but I’ve found the process fascinating.  Also, I’m tired of people complaining about the crazy jury verdicts they hear about, and then I ask if they have very been on a jury.  The typical response is that they have been successful in getting out of service.  My response then is for them not to complain about the results if they are not willing to participate in the system.

Jury duty is a great learning experience.  Plus, if you ever find yourself in litigation, you will want an impartial jury to help hear your case, so consider paying it forward in case you ever need the system.

Finally, I discuss employer’s obligations to allow employees to attend jury duty.  Additional information about the law regarding employee’s leave required to attend jury duty can be found in my prior post.

Stay dry out there California.